Rep. Jim Saxton (R-N.J.) declares in an op-ed in the Washington Times that “some in Congress do not understand” that a “modern airlift fleet is essential” to get US forces to hotspots fast. As with an earlier letter that responded to a Washington Post article, Saxton urges his fellow lawmakers to let the Air Force manage its airlift fleet, by removing restrictions on retiring some older aircraft, principally C-5A strategic airlifters. He says prolonging the life of the oldest C-5s “costs the American taxpayer untold billions of dollars and leaves us with an inferior strategic airlift fleet.” He favors continuing the C-17 production line for a while longer.
Air Force depots are not typically meant for quick repair jobs, but during Operation Epic Fury, the service moved some of its stateside heavy maintenance capability forward to fix battle-damaged aircraft closer to the fight.
